6 Movies Screening at Hudson Valley Cinemas in December

The weather outside might be getting frightful, but the holidays are always delightful inside local movie theaters this time of year. Loads of highly anticipated new films of all shapes and sizes are finally landing, with some of the biggest names and awards-hopefuls getting wider and wider releases. The dinner table debates of what makes a Christmas movie actually a Christmas movie are heating back up, with the theme of the holidays being affixed to just about any genre of cinema you can think of, from horror and action to family-friendly fare.

So get out those comfy sweaters, however ugly they may be, and be sure to catch some of these festive movie screenings at Hudson Valley independent cinemas this December.

Let the Right One In

While not the most holiday-specific attribute a film can have, a lot of snow never hurts when starting the conversation of what makes a “Christmas movie,” and director Tomas Alfredson’s 2008 Swedish horror-romance, Let the Right One In, is a perfect example of stretching that attribute as far as it can go. While holiday-adjacent themes of acceptance and found family are definitely present, what distinguishes this very special flick from the rest is its undeniable heart and care for its main characters, all wrapped up in one of the most intense and brutal horror movies of its ilk. The story follows a bullied 12-year-old boy who befriends a new, young neighbor, only to discover that she holds a dark secret and connection to several local deaths, all while they form a seemingly unbreakable bond. An unbelievably gorgeous film, it is also packed with some of the most memorable scenes from a horror movie in the 21st century, including a specific moment that takes place in a public pool that you will never be able to shake.

Let the Right One In screens December 3 at Upstate Films Orpheum Theatre.

The 400 Blows

François Truffaut is a very good director. With films like Jules and Jim and ​​Antoine and Colette, his name has become synonymous with the French New Wave and the exploration of childhood, adolescence, and romance in cinema. While there is no shortage of masterpieces in Truffaut’s filmography, his first feature film from 1959, The 400 Blows, is an all-time great. A devastatingly emotional and wholly original work of art, the 66-year-old movie continues to transform young movie lovers into complete cinephiles upon first viewing. The story follows a young Parisian boy named Antoine Doinel, whose outlook is formed by the authoritative, adult figures in his life, leading to a chain of events that puts him at the crosshairs of these embodiments of rules and structure. With a remarkable performance from Jean-Pierre Leaud, who was only 14 when the film was made, and an unforgettably timeless score by Jean Constantin, The 400 Blows remains, to this day, a perfect example of how to make this very specific type of movie.

The 400 Blows screens December 4 at Upstate FIlms Midtown Kingston. The film screens as part of the Kingston Film Foundation’s “Dysfunctional Families” series, which will also feature Dogtooth and The Celebration throughout the month. 

Hundreds of Beavers

One of the most surprising releases of last year was the highly anticipated Hundreds of Beavers, which premiered at several film festivals back in 2022. Beavers had a long road towards getting a wide release. When it did finally land on screens and streamers, the reaction from film snobs and general popcorn-eaters alike was practically unanimous: this thing rocks!! Shot, edited, and presented in classic silent-film fashion, the film uses Looney Tunes logic and tricks to tell the story of a woeful applejack salesman, who ventures out on a quest to become a fur trapper in order to win the heart and hand of the daughter of a local merchant. You would be hard-pressed to find a more original film from the past 10 years. It’s a movie that constantly keeps one-upping itself every five minutes for its entire runtime, leading to an ending that you would never expect and seems practically impossible as you’re watching it. While the feature is available to take in at your own leisure on multiple streamers, this is undoubtedly one of the best movies to watch on a big screen with a crowd, laughs, gasps, and all. You can thank me later.

Hundreds of Beavers screens December 3, 5, and December 6 at Denizen Theatre.

Sentimental Value

Joachim Trier is one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. His last film from 2021, The Worst Person in the World, was a juggernaut of independent and international film releases, garnering praise from critics and general audiences alike, not to mention, quite a handful of nominations and awards. His latest film, Sentimental Value, plays in the same sandbox as that movie, but has much more to say about how certain types of people interact with family members, colleagues, and their shared occupations. If that sounds dull, you wouldn’t be judged for thinking so. But Trier’s electric style of long takes, self-aware criticism, and genuinely empathetic characters make this movie, just like all his others, a wonder to behold. The movie centers around two sisters who have become reunited with their estranged filmmaker father, who has reentered their lives in hopes of making a very personal feature with them in their childhood home. Once enough people get their eyes on this thing, it is sure to be a heavy contender in multiple categories throughout this award season, most specifically: a Best Supporting Actor run for Stellan Skarsgard, who delivers one of the best performances of his already-amazing career. It’s hard to think of anyone else being able to pull off what Skarsgard does in this movie, and bouncing off of the talents of Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning definitely doesn’t hurt.

Sentimental Value is currently playing at Upstate Films Starr Cinema, Jacob Burns Film Center,  and starts December 12 at The Community Theater, December 19 at Crandell Theatre, and December 26 at The Moviehouse.

Eyes Wide Shut

The reclaimed 1999 erotic psychological drama from Stanley Kubrick, Eyes Wide Shut, has had something of a “moment” over the past few years. Upon its initial release, the film was met with harsh criticism from just about everyone who watched it, including several people who worked on the film. Notoriously, it is Kubrick’s final feature before passing away in March of 1999, leaving the film to be completed in editing without the director’s presence. The movie took over 15 months to shoot and had notably put a strain on the very public relationship of its two stars, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who were married at the time. But with all of the drama and tragedy surrounding the film put to the side, it remains a very distinctive Christmas staple to many movie lovers throughout the world. The film follows a doctor who has an emotional breakdown after discovering that his wife has had an affair, leading him to journey into the night seeking his own unfaithful experience. Like all Kubrick films, Eyes Wide Shut is masterfully handled and executed in a way that only one of the greatest ever could do.

Eyes Wide Shut screens December 12 at The Community Theater.

Marty Supreme

It just wouldn’t be the holiday season without a brand new Timothee Chalamet-led wide release. After slam dunking two Dune movies, as well as last year’s phenomenal awards run for the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, the world is a platter on the dinner table of Mr. Chalamet. This time around, one of the hottest thespian actors of his generation teams up with Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, a film whose success would seem just as unlikely as its protagonist’s, but nevertheless, is sure to be a smash hit over the holiday week and beyond into 2026. The film follows an up-and-coming professional table tennis player in the 1950s, who dreams of greatness and maybe reaches a bit too far. After many nominations and wins for his A Complete Unknown performance this past year, Chalamet is undoubtedly the frontrunner for Best Actor across the board at this point in 2025 awards predictions. The actor’s star power and quadrant-spanning appeal, mixed with Safdie’s undeniable flair for making moving pictures as thrilling and tense as they can possibly be, are all in the film’s favor. That makes Marty Supreme an undeniable alternative choice to big-budget blockbusters and animated kid-friendly flicks at movie theaters across the globe.

Marty Supreme starts December 25 at Crandell Theatre, The Community Theater, Story Screen Cinema, and Upstate Films Orpheum Theatre.